An Overview of the Relationship between Anxiety, Stress, Meaning in Life and Increasing Substance Use in Adolescents

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between anxiety, stress and meaning in life and increasing adolescent substance use. Substance is a vast issue in our country. Chronic use of any substance can develop a dependency on it and produce psychological and physical problems. Adolescents are more prone to take substances. Substance abuse in adolescents is increasing day by day at an alarming rate in India and is directly affecting cultural norms, the country’s intense competitiveness in the job and educational markets, the financial strain on families, and the adolescent population’s social support networks at this time of transition. Anxiety and stress are major causes of substance intake behavior. Sometimes, when adolescents are facing any kind of stress or anxiety, they may start taking substances such as smoking, consuming alcohol to reduce their stress but continuous intake of any substance increases the rate, creating dependency on those substances. It leads to increased consumption of drugs. Meaning in life also plays an important role in controlling substance abuse behavior. Meaninglessness can be both antecedent as well as result of substance abuse.